Bruins sign Bartkowski, Pastrnak

Tuesday

Jul 15, 2014 at 10:15 PMJul 15, 2014 at 10:18 PM

By re-signing defenseman Matt Bartkowski for one year, the Bruins kept their population on the blue line high. Meanwhile, first-round draft choice David Pastrnak's entry-level contract means he can come to training camp and compete for a job at forward.

Mike Loftus The Patriot Ledger

The Bruins won’t start training camp for another two months, but camp – and maybe even the wait for it – has become a little more interesting.Unlike the past several seasons, before which a reasonably observant fan could pretty accurately predict the lineup for opening night, there should be legitimate competition for spots come mid-September.

On defense, some who can’t play their way into a job will probably play their way out of town – if general manager Peter Chiarelli doesn’t trim from the surplus at that position before camp begins, that is.

“I don’t really pay much attention to other teams’ depth, defensively,” Bartkowski said during a conference call, “but we have to be up there in the depth category.”

Chiarelli certainly pays attention. He has spoken frequently since the Bruins’ second-round playoff exit of having what he considers nine NHL-caliber defensemen – at least one, and possibly two more than the B’s can fit onto the roster and under the salary cap.

A trade is all but certain – which is where Bartkowski says he stops paying attention.

“There’s no real reason to,” said the 26-year-old, who was, in fact, packaged in a trade with Calgary that would have brought Jarome Iginla to Boston for the 2013 playoffs, if Iginla hadn’t vetoed it. “I think it’s only just a hindrance to worry about where you’re going to end up and all that. You just prepare for what you can, and the team you’re on. If something happens, it happens. (Trades are) out of our hands.”

Bartkowski, who had filed for salary arbitration, was obtained in the March 3, 2010, trade with Florida that also brought Dennis Seidenberg to Boston. He has been a pro for four years, but last season (64 games, 18 assists, plus-22) was his first full NHL campaign.

“He’s still relatively young,” Chiarelli told a pool reporter. “There are nuances that he’s still learning, and I expect him to continue to improve.”

In contrast to Bartkowski blooming late, David Pastrnak may be an early arrival. The 18-year-old forward, drafted in the first round (No. 25 overall) last month, signed a three-year, entry-level contract Tuesday, effectively freeing the Czech native from contractual obligations in Sweden and allowing him to compete for a job in Boston in September.

“He’ll get the experience of a training camp, and he’ll get some (exhibition) games,” Chiarelli said of Pastrnak, who will also presumably compete in a rookie tournament the Bruins will attend in Nashville before their main camp. “It’s another step along the way, and it’s important that we don’t skip those steps.”

Pastrnak’s first step came during last week’s development camp, where his performance prompted Chiarelli to say “there’s only been a couple players that have showed that (much) at these camps over the years.”

Without a single right-shooting winger on the roster since the departures of Iginla and Shawn Thornton, Chiarelli said Pastrnak left him thinking “Wow – I have to take a second look at this.”

“It’s well-documented that we’re looking for skill and speed, and he fits that bill,” Chiarelli said Tuesday, “but let’s not put the cart before the horse. … With a young 18-year-old who’s 171 pounds, you have to be careful. He’s naturally strong, so he’s got that going for him, but we’ll have to see.”

Chiarelli said at the end of development camp that he considered three forward positions open entering training camp. While the GM suggested previously that Loui Eriksson was the most likely candidate to replace Iginla on the Bruins’ top line with Milan Lucic and David Krejci, Pastrnak – who played professionally last season in Sweden, although not in the Elite League – could now conceivably get a look there.

“I just hope I’m going to stay alive, if it’s going to happen,” said Pastrnak, who considers countryman Krejci a role model. “I always said if I get this chance, I would do my best and show the Bruins they made the right decision, and I would really enjoy it.”